Widget alignment control in graphical user interface systems

1. A method within a graphical user interface (GUI) development environment for providing cross-pane visual display correlation between widgets that reside on different visual display panes, said method comprising the steps of: specifying a visual display relation between an influenced widget and an influencing widget, said specifying step being performed as part of a process of developing a graphical user interface for an end user application, said graphical user interface including a plurality of display panes for presenting information to an end user of said end user application, wherein said influencing widget is displayed within a first display pane of said graphical user interface and said influenced widget is displayed within a second display pane of said graphical user interface, said visual display relation between said influenced widget and said influencing widget being independent of any relation between said first display pane and said second display pane; encoding said specified visual display relation within a GUI development description of said second display pane; defining a visual display characterization for said influencing widget within said first display pane; and determining a visual display characterization for said influenced widget within said second display pane as a function of said defined visual display characterization of said influencing widget, wherein said function includes said specified visual display relation, such that visual continuity between said influenced widget and said influencing widget is observed as said end user traverses from said first to said second display pane.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said defining step further comprises specifying a picture element description for said influencing widget.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said picture element description may be characterized among a group including size, location, color, and orientation.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of: specifying a relative picture element description for said influenced widget within said second display pane as a function of said specified picture element description for said influencing widget, wherein said function includes said specified visual display relation; and positioning said influenced widget within said second display pane according to said specified relative picture element description within said second display pane, such that said influencing widget picture element description is utilized for guiding cross-pane widget alignment.

5. A program product for developing GUI applications, said program product comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions recorded on computer readable media, wherein said instructions, when executed by a computer, perform the steps of: specifying a visual display relation between an influenced widget and an influencing widget, said specifying step being performed as part of a process of developing a graphical user interface for an end user application, said graphical user interface including a plurality of display panes for presenting information to an end user of said end user application, wherein said influencing widget is displayed within a first display pane of said graphical user interface and said influenced widget is displayed within a second display pane of said graphical user interface, said visual display relation between said influenced widget and said influencing widget being independent of any relation between said first display pane and said second display pane; encoding said specified visual display relation within a GUI development description of said second display pane; defining a visual display characterization for said influencing widget within said first display pane; and determining a visual display characterization for said influenced widget within said second display pane as a function of said defined visual display characterization of said influencing widget, wherein said function includes said specified visual display relation, such that visual continuity between said influenced widget and said influencing widget is observed as said end user traverses from said first to said second display pane.

6. The program product of claim 5 , wherein said step of defining a visual display characterization for said influencing widget further comprises specifying a picture element description for said influencing widget.

7. The program product of claim 6 , wherein said picture element description may be characterized among a group including size, location, color, and orientation.

8. The program product of claim 6 , wherein said program product further performs the steps of: specifying a relative picture element description for said influenced widget within said second display pane as a function of said specified picture element description for said influencing widget, wherein said function includes said specified visual display relation; and positioning said influenced widget within said second display pane according to said specified relative picture element description within said second display pane, such that said influencing widget picture element description is utilized for guiding cross-pane widget alignment.

9. A graphical user interface development system for providing cross-dialog correlation of the graphical orientations of a plurality of widgets that reside on separate dialog pages, said graphical user interface development system comprising: a cross-dialog pointer for specifying a visual display relation between an influenced widget and an influencing widget, wherein said influencing widget is displayed within a first display pane of a plurality of display panes in a graphical user interface for an end user application developed using said graphical user interface development system, said plurality of display panes for presenting information to an end user of said end user application, and said influenced widget is displayed within a second display pane of said plurality of display panes in said graphical user interface, said visual display relation between said influenced widget and said influencing widget being independent of any relation between said first display pane and said second display pane; and processing means for encoding said specified visual display relation within a GUI development description of said second display pane; wherein a visual display characterization of said influenced widget within said second display pane is determined as a function of a visual display characterization of said influencing widget, said function including said specified visual display relation, such that visual continuity between said influenced widget and said influencing widget is observed as said end user traverses from said first to said second display pane.